Bolton: Burglar broke into Smethurst Lane cannabis farm

Ali Hassan, 19, was part of a group who broke into a house on Smethurst Lane, Morris Green, on the night of Tuesday May 16 this year.

Bolton Crown Court heard how earlier that day police had raided a cannabis farm at the house.

Betsey Hindle, prosecuting, said: “While the address was being cleared a neighbour reported seeing what looked like a group of young people recording the clearance.”

It appeared that they were uploading the footage on Snapchat.

The case was heard at Bolton Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

Police received a call later that evening reporting a break-in and then later heard reports of voices and loud banging inside the house.

On arriving, Ms Hindle said the officers found Hassan, of Gibbon Street, Daubhill, alone in the front room.

She said: “The defendant informed the officers that he would be going to prison as he was already serving a suspended sentence for burglary.”

Ms Hindle added that Hassan admitted to the officers that he was only still in the house because he had not been able to get out through the window, as several other youths who broke into the property appeared to have done.

Hassan, who has four previous convictions for seven offences, was given this suspended sentence after breaking into the home of a man in his 80s while he slept and stole his car, bank cards and cash.

He was given a suspended sentence of a year and eight months, which he was still serving when he broke into the Smethurst Drive house in May.

After being arrested for this second offence he then admitted to the police at the scene he has been carrying a knife, which he referred to as a “shiv.”

Hassan eventually pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary when brought before magistrates on May 18 this year.

The court also heard he had missed two unpaid work appointments on April 11 and 18, which he was supposed to carry out as part of his suspended sentence.

Wayne Jackson, defending, argued that Hassan was entitled to credit for having pleaded guilty and argued that the 19-year-old was “significantly under the age of full maturity.”

He also pointed out that though Hassan had gone out armed with a knife, no one had actually been harmed because of his actions.

Judge Nicholas Clarke KC accepted that Hassan was still a very young man but felt his string of crimes needed a serious response.

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He said: “I am very much aware of your youth, or relative youth.”

He added: “But you must understand that you have effectively been on a crime spree over these last 12 months.”

Judge Clarke also said that he was alarmed about dangerous the knife could have been, having seen pictures.

He said: “It isn’t just an ordinary knife; it is a shiv.

“I’ve seen a picture of it and it’s a very sharp, purpose-built weapon.”

Judge Clarke sentenced Hassan to a total of 47 months in prison.